Nothing beats cold, delicious, juicy watermelon!  Especially as the warm, summer days are approaching!

Check out the refreshing, Watermelon Collins Cocktail using Partida Tequila, 100% Blue Agave Tequila and see how quick and easy this recipe is to make for all your parties!

We recently began following an awesome blog, Mixology Monday, written by Paul Clarke of The Cocktail Chronicles, that hosts a monthly online cocktail party.  They call out an ingredient and ask all of us bloggers to create, post, and blog about cocktails around that ingredient.  This month they are featuring GINGER as the monthly ingredient and RUM DOOD, a blog dedicated to RUM.

We thought it would be a great idea to create photoshoot and want to share with you our signature cocktail recipe, Ginger Frost. Check out the pics and the recipe below.

Ginger Frost
1.5 ounce Vodka
0.75 ounce Domaine de Canton
0.5 ounce fresh lemon juice
0.25 ounce simple syrup (1:1 ration sugar-water)
0.75 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice
0.5 ounce egg whites
Ginger sugar (for rim)

Dry shake all the ingredients, except ginger sugar.  Rim the cocktail glass with ginger sugar and set aside.  Add ice to the shaker and shake very well.  Strain into the cocktail glass.  Serve and enjoy!

Geez…let me dust the cobwebs off.  It’s been a while since I last posted some new things…but for a really good reason!

Okay okay…what’d you think?  I was going to give you the news right away?  Nah…I’ll show you first all the great new photography I have been working.  Hope you like!

These photographs serve as my introduction to our new company…We Shoot Cocktails, LLC.

Angel Arroyo, Graphic Designer & Creative Director, of Seven350.com, and me, Mixologist and Photography Director of Elba S. Giron, have partnered together to bring quality signature cocktail photography to independent mixologists, brand ambassadors, consultants, and spirit companies at a low cost.  It’s a great way to continue building the visual bar without breaking your pockets.  With Angel’s help, we have put together creative ways of how you can use our photography, but we leave that door open to you.  We encourage that you use our photography for your self-promotion.

To celebrate the launch of our new company and in honor of Tales of the Cocktail 2009, we are offering our services at a promotional rate (see balloon above).  Click here to take you to our website for all of the details.

I will leave you with our philosophy and enjoy the pictures, the new website, and the new blog!

We Shoot Cocktails Philosophy:

Here is how you can use our photography for your self-promoting needs!

Oh yeah, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for our 1st Cocktails & Tweet Contest!  I will post the ad soon!

That’s right.  Bols Genever hosted the USBG’s May Mixer in New York City at Little Branch.

Bartender’s from all over New York City and New Jersey got together to learn more about Genever from Tal Nadari in a very ambient environment and then chilled out while Sasha (the owner of Little Branch and Milk & Honey) talked about the perfect ice for cocktails.  Trust me, it was an event that you had to be at!  But no worries….here are some pictures to recap the mixer and we hope to see you next month!!

I know…the name is eerie, but the art and drink is delicious!!!

I was apart of the USBG Competition here in New York at the World Bar and competed with my Bad News. This is a delicious cocktail and I will do you one better, I will give you the recipe, but you got to read on!  =)

So, what gives you’re asking?  You all know that the economy now a days is, well, it blows!  And though it’s ironic, what a better time to drink!!  Angel Arroyo, of Seven350, and I teamed up to give you Bad News; but in a great way!

As a graphic designer, animator, and motion designer, Angel has been inspired, not just by consumption of great cocktails, but by the art of making great cocktails!  So this inspiration has brought our fusion of making cocktail art, and here to make it’s debut, is our Bad News Cocktail Poster. This is a limited poster that is available for sale on Etsy.

Here it is………

“…This 8×11 inch poster was created for Elba S Giron’s cocktail recipe for these hard economic times. Together we created a poster for that person who doesn’t receive the Bad News, but for the person who has to give it.

Sometimes giving Bad News is just as bad as getting it and this poster serves as a reminder on how to ease that tension.”

This is just the beginning of our partnership and I am looking forward to sharing with you all of our collaborations!  Stay tuned! 

As promised….
BAD NEWS COCKTAIL RECIPE:
3/4 ounce Añejo Tequila
3/4 ounce Carpano Antica
3/4 ounce Benedictine
Dash of Fee Brother’s Whisky-Barrel Aged Bitters

Add ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir
until chilled.  Serve over fresh ice or enjoy straight
in a cocktail glass.  Garnish with an orange twist.  Enoy!

To kick off this past weekend, the New York City Chapter of the United States Bartender’s Guild hosted a cocktail competition featuring

Tres Generaciones Tequila,

Fernet Branca, and Carpano Antica at The World Bar in Trump Tower.

Dale Degroff hosted the competition as the Master of Ceremony

and the panel of judges featured Tad Carducci of Tippling Brothers, Jack Robertiello of The Polished Palate, Allen Katz of Southern Wine & Spirits, and Aisha Sharpe of Contemporary Cocktails.

The featured competitors were Jonathan Pogash of The Cocktail Guru and The World Bar, who took first place to represent the chapter in San Francisco with a chance to represent the USBG in the finals in Germany.

The Pulitzer

Lisa Victoria Hare of Bobo and Von, who took second place.

The Last Effort

Erin Williams, Cointreau Brand Ambassador and resident Mixologist, who took third place.

And we can’t forget the honorable mentions…

Eryn Reece, of Louis 469.

Tequila & the Hare

Marshal Altier, of Insieme

Buen provecho Aperitivo

and me…Elba S. Giron (not photographed) with my Bad News Cocktail.  It’s kind of a challenge to compete and simultaneously take the pictures…but you will see my “Bad News Cocktail” featured in my next post real soon! 

]]> http://www.elbasgiron.com/wordpress/?feed=rss2&p=658 http://www.elbasgiron.com/wordpress/?p=641 http://www.elbasgiron.com/wordpress/?p=641#comments Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:46:17 +0000 elba http://www.elbasgiron.com/wordpress/?p=641

You all saw the cocktail photographs that I did for Derek Brown,  back in early March.

Well… they are back!!!  and Derek Brown just went live with www.Better-Drinking.com.  I absolutely love what his designers created for his site and for my photography!!

So a little history…Derek and I met last year around this time when he was taking B.A.R. (Beverage Alcohol Resource: a 5-day certification program in Spirits and Mixology.  Let me tell you….this is the most intense course you will ever take, but the most rewarding!  (I am a BAR Ready Graduate September 2008…what what!!)  Well…let’s just say that being in a room with Dale Degroff, Steve Olson, Andy Seymour, Paul Pacult, David Wondrich, Doug Frost, and 30 of the most talented professionals in the industry was AMAZING!!!

Back to my story about Derek…we met at Bar Milano (now known as Inoteca in NYC).  I was apart of the opening staff that was mentored and trained by Tony Abou-Ganim, The Modern Mixologist, and when he and a few other BAR students walked in, I was behind the bar.   What a great experience it was to have shaken a few cocktails for the crew and that they loved it!  Even better…Derek brought along his girlfriend (Chantal Tseng of the Tabbard Inn in Washington, D.C.) the next night for another round of cocktails (created by yours truly).  I was touched that they enjoyed the experience and that a friendship was formed.  Well…needless to say, history is unfolding and we have been able to partner together in this journey.

follow this link to the website to read his bio and to find out where your can find him.

Grand Marnier, Navan, and Vail, Colorado.  Now this is a recipe for a great weekend!!!

One hundred of the nation’s top mixologists got together for the Grand Marnier Mixology Summit in Vail, Colorado.  I was so fortunate to have been invited along with many of my dear friends.  We all enjoyed Grand Ma & Navan signature cocktails, a motivation seminar hosted by Steve Olson 

and Andy Seymour, of AKA Wine Geek, and awesome happenings behind the bar!!  Check out some of the photographs that I snapped away!!! 

brief seminar on edible cocktails by Anthony Alba 

stenciling by Don Lee 

navan winter smash cocktails by Aisha Sharpe

Now…if you thought that was all play…we also got to snowboard on the awesome mountains of Vail, Colorado!  I have never been so high up and can tell you that it was an amazing rush to board down the mountain!  Check out the photographs of the scenery!!

I couldn’t be more grateful for a fantastic weekend and look forward to being invited again next year!!  See you soon!

Who would have thought that desserts in a cocktail form is a recipe for indulgence!  Well….great news to share with you!  Jell-O and I have partnered to bring you new and delicious cocktail inspired desserts that I have created exclusively for the Jell-O Lounge.

I couldn’t have had a better opportunity to work with a client as well-known as Jell-O and to use all of the skills that I have been developing over the last 6 years in mixology, photography, and cocktail styling.  I was able to create new and delicious recipes that featured fresh juices, quality spirits, Jell-O gelatin as well as Jell-O pudding. This was such a creative way to approach cocktail developing as well as so much fun to prepare for the photoshoot.

Jell-O is surely a favorite childhood dessert and now as we’re getting older, we have a great way to tune into those childhood memories and enjoy these cocktail inspired desserts, like my creations:

Berry Bubbly (coming soon to the Jell-O Lounge):

Cool Cookie delight (coming soon to the Jell-O Lounge):

and Poolside Cooler (coming soon to the Jell-O Lounge):

as well as the yummy recipes that the Kraft Team have been putting together like the Jell-O Mousse-tini, Sangria Cups, and many more.  All of the cocktail inspired desserts are easy and quick to prepare and sure to be the main attraction for any of your planned events!

Please feel free to reach out to info@elbasgiron.com if you have any questions or would like helpful tips in preparing the cocktails.

Enjoy and I will be back soon with more great news!!!

Mojito…
I hear this and I can’t help but daydream about laying on the beach with a Tequila Mojito in hand!!!  Well….summer is coming very soon and what better way than to enjoy a great cocktail like the Mojito, with a twist.  Partida Tequila and I put together a great cocktail video to show you how easy it is to make a Partida Tequila Mojito and how delicious it is with Partida Reposado.

Partida Reposado is 100% Blue Agave Tequila that has been aged 6 months in single-pass American whiskey oak barrels.  It has decadent scents of vanilla and hazelnut with citrus notes.  Simply a great substitution for the rum in a Mojito.  Check out Partida Tequila for more information and great 100% Blue Agave Tequila and sign up for Talk Drinks to get all of your latest updates for events and happenings with Partida.